Teen arrested in killing of New Jersey girl shot on her scooter

(Reuters) - A teen was arrested in the killing of a 12-year-old girl who was riding on her scooter near a family gathering in Paterson, New Jersey, when she was struck by a stray bullet, officials said on Wednesday.

Jhymiere Moore, 19, turned himself in to police and was arrested late on Tuesday on a charge of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Genesis Rincon of Paterson, said Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes at a news conference.

He also was charged with two counts of illegal gun possession. Prosecutors said earlier that Moore was being held on $2 million bail, but a New Jersey judge later set the bail at $3 million cash, the prosecutors' office said.

Authorities did not believe Rincon was the intended target of the shooting, which took place on Saturday night on Rosa Parks Boulevard in Paterson, where Rincon was riding her scooter with friends on her way to a nearby family gathering.

Rincon's death prompted outrage in the violence-plagued community, leading hundreds of residents to march on City Hall demanding action on Tuesday, according to NJ.com.

Rincon was pronounced dead on Sunday morning but kept on life support until late on Monday so her organs could be donated, prosecutors said.

Her parents attended the Wednesday news conference but did not speak.

Paterson Mayor Jose Torres said the city would deploy 26 additional police officers by the end of the month.

Moore was scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in New York; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst, Barbara Goldberg and Sandra Maler)